Telephone-meter.



R. B. HEAD. TELEPHONE METER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, 1911.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. B. HEAD.

TELEPHONE METER.

APPLICATION IILED FEB. 23, 1911 1,042,790. Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 :Q

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RALPH B. HEAD, OF DENVER COLORADO.

TELEPHONE-METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

Application filed February 23, 1911. Serial No. 610,306.

uses wherein it is desired to place in the hands of the subscriber oruser the control of the registration of the number of times he has useda certain intermittently operated utility subscribed to or rented byhim.

fiche invention will therefore be described with reference withreference to its general use, as well as to its specific use, inconnection with telephone systems.

The principal object of the invention when applied to a telephonesystem, for ex ample. is to automatically register at a givensubscribers telephone each call in response to which a proper connectionhas been made with any telephone and refuse to register each call inresponse to which a proper con' nection with any telephone has not beenmade.

The invention therefore consists in the construction of parts and intheir combination for the purpose specified substantially as hereinafterset forth.

In the accompanying drawings which form -a part of thi specificationFigure 1 represents the improved meter in side eleyatien,the casingbeing in Vertical section; FBI. 2 1s alike view of the same showine t; 7p

the movable parts of the meter in one {305% I lien oscupled y themduring the up of the meter; Fig. 3 ,is' an underside pl themeter, ,thecasing being in h g section; Fig. lig

iot' to invention resides in the construct on; and a nisterron an endelevation. of the l instrument, the casing being in transverse in theplane trolled system giving to the subscriber or user of a telephone orlike instrument, the control of the registration of the number of timesthat he has used the telephone or like instrument. In accomplishing thisthere is located at the subscribers station an instru ment substantiallysuch as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which requires thatthe subscriber shall set an actuating means in a certain positionwithout operating the meter. Then when the subscriber has obtained histelephonic connection, or has accomplished. whatever other purpose bedesired, overthe particular system in which the meter is incorporated,the op orator at the distant station will actuate any suitable means,preferably electromagnetic means, for releasing the actuator set by thesubscriber so that it may return to normal position and in returningtonormal position actuate the counter of themeter. This invention alsocontemplates sounding a nal at both ends of the line when the meter hasbeen actuated. It also contemplates the return of the actuator to normalposition through the agency of the operator distant station when he hasbeen unable to make the desired connection and without actuating thecounter of the meter. This failure to get the connection will also hesignified by the failure of the signals to sound. Obviously, thesepurposes may he accomplished by mechanisms of various signs andconstruction and coupled various electrical systems. In the panyingdrawing and in this spe" attempt will be made to disclose in d, generalway an apparatus which i be capable of accomplishi ll i Y be typical ofsuch apparatus.

lit the drawings 16 refers to any suitable form oi": case for housingthe meter and its actuating parts. 11 refers to a framemountsoconstructed to 100 ed within the casing and form a suitablesupport for the various parts of the metenactuating and controllingdevice. To one arm of this frame there are connected polarizedHectic-magnets 12 and 13, whose permanent. magnet appears at If -Tliesemagnets have protruding cores or poles at 16 and 17, respectively. Theframe ll has another arm 18, extending horizontally below the magnets,and at the at the forwarders-fl of this arm there is an upright 11% post19. On this post is pivoted the arma ture of the polarized magnets. Uponthe plate 20 are formed bosses 21 and 22 pitted in the usual-manner toreceive the points of the pivot bearings carried by the post 19, as at23 and 24. The lower pivot 24 is preferably formed upon a projectionextending horizontally from the lower end of post 19 through an aperture'25 in'the armature 20.

This projection forms a support for the circuit maker, whose terminalsare indicated at 26 and 27, respectively. To hold the armature 20 innormal position and to re turn it to said position after actuation, anysuitable spring may be'used such as the areshaped plate sprin 28,secured .at its middle to the upper end 0 post 19. It is also preferableto perforate the'armature 20 for the reception of the pole-pieces 16 and17, as

' 30 for operating the wheels of the counter the counter case.

is seen in Fig. 4, and it is actuated by the curved arm 31, pivoted tothe underside of The counter 29 may be supported upon a projection ofarm 18, as represented at 32. Referring to Fig. 4, it is by the swingingof arm 31 on its pivot to draw the crank 30 to the left that the counteris operated.

The' actuator ofthe meter, which is to operate the counter when thedesired connectionwith the station called has been established and whichhas to return to normal without operating the counter when suchconnection has not been made, s shown in the drawings as having a carri'e 32 provided with upwardly, extending headed pro.- jections 33 and 34,the heads of which are located in run-ways formed in the lower surfaceof the arm 18. This run-wayopens into a bore made longitudinally of thearm 18, in which'is located a spring 35, prefer-' ably, about the coreor rod 36. Extending upwardly from the headed project-ion 33 is aperforated post '37 through which the rod 36 may pass and between thispost and the opposite 'end of the bore in arm 18 the spring 35 isconfined. This spring, as will appear. is for the purpose of returningthe carriage 32 to normal position, Fig. 1. To the fartherend of thecarriage 32 there is hinged for lateral movement a spring-arm 38, whichcarries at its free end on a vertical axis a roller 39. The fartherend-offthe arm 18 is downwardly inclined and terminates at again affectthe position of the carriage no 'j matter how often it may be pressed.until when desired, shall engage with the actuating arm 31 to operatethe counter. The means shown in the drawings'for driving the carriage 32inward consists of a pushbutton 41 at the inward end of which is a rod42 mounted to-ride through an opening in the lug 43, which extendsdownwardly from the arm-18 of the frame 11. A spring 40 encircles therod 42 for returning the push-button to normal position and a screw 3 Ias 44 is located in the lower endof the stud 4 3 and has its upper endextending into a slot on the underside of the rod 42 to hold thepush-button in a certain fixed relation to the carriage 32. At the innerend of the push-button 41. on its upper side there is mounted a pawl 45for engagement with the forward end of the carriage 32. This pawl 9 ismounted on a horizontal pin 46 between projections of the pushrbuttonand is engaged by a spring located about. said pin, which spring. allowsaside-wise movement of the pawl upon the pin 46 and also returns thepawl to the operative position seen in Fig. 1, when in the actuation ofthe mechanism it has been'moved from such position. To provide for thefree lateral movement of the pawl 45 the aperture therein, by which itis mounted on pin 46, is vertically enlarged, at the side toward saidspring, as' indicated in Fig. 8., v

It is intended that when the ush-button is pressed inward the pawl 45shall drive in- I end of armature 20 the push-button may return to itsnormal position and will not the carriage shall have been returned toits normal position through the movement of the armature 20, actuated byits cont-rolling magnet's. To accomplish this a plate 47,. such asrepresented in detail inFig. 7, is provided. This plate has in it anL-shaped slot 48 for the reception and guidance of the pawl 45. Toeffect this object the guidingplate is pivoted at its inward end to alug 49 on the stud 43 and at its outer end it is supported on a pin'50,mounted in a projection 51 from the frame 11. A spring, as 52, ismounted between the head of the pin 50 and the outer end of the plate 47for 110M? @135 ing said plate against a lug 53, which pro jectsdownwardly from the carriage 32, and serves to return the plate 47 tothe position such as will permit the pawl 45 to spring back into theL-shaped slot when the carriage has-been returned to normal position.

In the operation of this service-meter uponpushing the button-11 inward,pawl 45 engages with the carriage 32 and drives it forward until thewheel 39 has passed beyond the lower end of the armature and has sprungupward in position to be held by the armature 20 so long as saidarmature remains in normal position. As the push-button is pressedinward the pawl follows the long arm of the L-shaped slot until thewheel 39 has passed up behind the armature 20 and closed the circuitbetween contacts 26 and 27, when the pawl will he forced over into theshort arm of the L-shaped slot by the spring upon pin 16. Then upon therelease of push-button 41 its spring will return the button to normalposition, Fig. 1. In this return movement the pawl 45 rides along theunderside of plate 47 and will continue to ride along the underside ofsaid plate in subsequent operation of the button until the carriage 32has been released and returned to normal position. The carriage inreturning to normal position will, by means of the lug push the plate 47laterally at its outer end until it brings the outer end of the L-shapedslot '1 over the pawl 45, then said pawl will spin, up into said slotand be in position to age engage and drive the carriage 32.

To pita ale t'or so directing the return of the laterally mmiing arm 38with. its projecting. actuating pin 40 in a manner such that it'connection has been made with the distant telephone it shall actuate thecounter and when such connection has not been made it shall returnwithout actuating the coun ter. means are provided for tilting thearmature 20 to one magnet or the other, according to the circumstancesjust specified. Such tilting of the armature will permit the roller 39to move off at one side or the other of the downward projection of thearmature 20. It said roller moves ofi the plate 20, toward the side ofthe case where the counter 29 is mounted, then the pin 40 will inpassing from position seen in .Fig. 2 engage with the curved arm 31which in turn will swing the crank and actuate the counter. If the.roller is thrown off the lower end of plate 20 to the opposite side,then the pin will be carried past the arm 31 without actuating it, as isclearly seen from the position of parts in Figs. 3 and 4. To insure thisa downwardly projecting flange 54 is provided on the inward end of thearm 18. To provide for return- 65 ing the springarm 38 into alinernentwith the carriage 32 any suitable spring may be employed, such forinstance as a wire 55 secured to the underside of the carriage 32 andpassing at its inner end through a loop on the underside of the arm 38.t This spring will insure the proper locationof the roller upon thelower end of the armature 20 when the carriage has been pushed inward insetting the meter for actuation by the operator at the distant orcentral station.

Vhen the meter is used in a telephone system the circuit closed by thewheel 39 between the terminals 26 and 27 is the same circuit as thatclosed by the telephone book in taking down the receiver, substantiallyas indicated at 56. Therefore it will be seen that the subscriber inorder to get his connection must set his meter in position to beactuated by the operator at central.

The control from the distant station, as has already been intimated, isby means of the polarized magnets. -This control may be effected overany suitable circuit, such, for instance, as that typified in Fig. 3,wherein at the distant station there may be located a polarity switch 56for throwing the current either in one direction or the other from asource of current indicated at 57 through the magnets 12 and 13,depending upon whether the positive impulse is to cause the actuation ofthe counter or whether a negative impulse is to effect such actuation.

Any suitable connection may be made with the counter for giving a signalat. one

or both ends of the lineto'indicate the operation of the counter. Themeans by which this signaling may be eti'eeted is typified in Fig. 1.wherein a signal-bell is represented at the local station and another asat the distant station, the source of current being indicated at 60 andthe circuit closer indicated at 61 for operation by a finger 62 carriedby the crank 30 of the counter 29.

Thus it may be seen that .with an apparatus, in a telephone system, suchas above outlined a telephone subscriber, for example, will have anabsolute check upon the central station with respect to the number ofcalls with which he should he charged. No attempt has been made toillustrate this servicemeter as actually coupled into an existingtelephone system, or in any other system, where service of a generalutility is to be checked up, since such circuiting would depend upon theparticular use to which the apparatus may be applied and is within theprovince of the skilled electrician.

The invention claimed is,-

1. In an electrically controlled meter, the combination with thecounter, of an automatic actuator therefor, a push-button independent ofthe actuator for advancing said actuator to set ,itin operativeposition, a spring for returning the push-button alone to initialposition, a pawl carried by the push-button for engagementwith theactuator and means for putting the pawl out of operation until theactuator returns to initial position.

2. In an electrically controlled meter, the combinationwith the counter,of an automatic actuator therefor, a push-button for advancing saidactuator to set it in operative position, a spring for returning thepushbutton to initial position, a spring pawl on the push-button inposition to engage the actuator to advance it, and a slotted guidingplate for throwing said pawl out of operative position on the return ofthe pushbutton to initial position.

3. In an electrically controlled meter, the combination with the,counter, of an automatic a-c tuator therefor, a push-button foradvancing said actuator to set it in operative position, a spring forreturning the push-button to initial position, a spring pawl on thepushbutton in position to engage the actuator to advance it, a slottedguiding plate for putting said pawl out of operative position and meansmoved by the actuator on its return to initial position for setting saidplate into position for restoring the pawl to operative condition.

4. In an electrically' controlled meter, the

' combination with polarized .electro-magnets',

a ircuit-con troller therefor at a distant statiiin, a'tilting armaturefor actuation by'said' magnets, a counter, a reciprocating carriagecarrying a pin for actuating said counter, manual means for advancingsaid carriage, automatic means for returning aid carriage, and a holdingdevice on the carriage for engaging the tilting armature.

5. In an electrically controlled meter, the combination with polarizedelectro-magnets, a circuit controller therefor at a distant station, atilting armature for actuation by said magnets, a counter, areciprocating carriage, manual means for advancing said carriage,automatic means for returning said carriage, a spring arm hinged to saidcarriage, a pin carried by the free end of said arm for actuating saidcounter, a roller on the free endthe actuating arm of said contour, aroller' on the free end of said spring arm for engaging with saidarmature to hold the carriage, in advanced position, and means forguiding said pin into or out of engagement with the actuating arm of thecounter when the carriage is returning toinitial position. In testimonywhereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' RALPH B. HEAD. Witnesses EDW. F. LARSEN, J. P. HYMER.

